


Coffin in the Clouds

by kristsune



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Post Episode 91, but not in major detail, daisy's monster graveyard, i just love writing about mike and the vast, mike isn't dead, nonbinary OC, outsider pov, sorry I don't make the rules - Freeform, warning for mention of throwing up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-26 02:16:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20382031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristsune/pseuds/kristsune
Summary: What if Mike just needed a little help to escape from The Buried?





	Coffin in the Clouds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Starofwinter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starofwinter/gifts).

> Well, I had read a few fics from Mike's POV after being buried, and I just wanted to write a little something different. I know literally no one except me and like my 3 friends are even remotely interested in more Mike content, but i love him, and this is not the last of him you'll see from me.  
I was listening to a lot of Hot Sugar while writing this, and the title is from one of their songs.

Alex curled up under the stand of trees as night settled in. Luckily it wasn’t too cold out, but it was raining in that slow, steady way that just soaked through everything. They did pretty good in finding this spot though. It was a bit out of the way, but it was a nice, mostly dry, wooded area next to a small clearing filled with patches of churned dirt. It reminded Alex a bit of a graveyard, having spent more than a few nights in those, but it was probably just the dying light playing tricks on them.

Alex was just starting to doze a little - they rarely truly slept when not in a shelter - when a wave of dizziness rolled over them. They reached out a steadying hand to the tree next to them as they shook their head, trying to clear it when they noticed it. There was movement out in the clearing. But not the kind of movement one would expect in an area like this, like someone sneaking around or an animal running through.

There was something  _ coming out of the ground _ .

It took a few moments to realize just what it was. A hand. That was presumably attached to the rest of a body. That had been buried in the clearing. Alex had seen plenty of zombie movies, and they knew they should get the fuck out of there. But they were rooted to the spot, unable to look away.

It felt like hours just watching the one hand slowly reaching its way out of the ground. It really looked to be struggling, like it had to fight for even the tiniest bit of headway. Alex gasped when they saw the hand starting to get pulled back under. After watching it strain for so long, they felt a sudden rush of empathy. Whoever this was, they were fighting for their life, and Alex realized they would never be able to forgive themselves if they didn’t  _ do _ something about it. Everyone needed a helping hand at some point in their lives. 

Alex attempted to run to the hand, but stumbled, the dizziness was still so strong - not to mention the churned earth was turning into thick mud in all the rain - and they had to crawl the last couple feet, but they were able to grab a hold of the hand just before it disappeared into the earth. Alex got such an intense wave of vertigo they had to close their eyes. The hand gripped theirs in a vice-like grip that sent a jolt of electricity through them, but Alex wasn’t going to let go. They grabbed onto the forearm and  _ pulled _ . It was like tug-of-war with an elephant, whatever was trying to keep them in the ground didn’t want to let them go. 

Alex got flashes of deep cramped places, crushing earth, dark unknowing spaces, of not knowing which way was up, and they  _ knew _ that if they weren’t careful they would end up down there. Crushed forever under the earth. They renewed their grip and pulled harder, rewarded with a second hand emerging and grabbing hold. After that it got… well not  _ easy _ , but they weren’t fighting quite so desperately for every centimeter. 

Finally, the earth seemed to give up all at once, and with a final heave a short man fell up and out of the hole next to Alex as they fell backwards. He rolled onto his hands and knees and threw up more dirt than could have reasonably be held in a stomach. 

He got up on shaky legs, like he couldn’t stand to be close to the floor any longer. As he stood straight, it started to rain harder, and a bolt of lighting struck so close Alex felt the hair on their arms stand up. In that flash, Alex got a better look at the man. He was standing with his face and hands turned upwards. They had initially thought he had been short, but whether it was a trick of the lighting, or the fact that they were still on the ground, he looked like he could reach the sky with his outstretched hands. 

It took Alex awhile before they realized what they were hearing other than the storm;  _ laughter _ . The man was laughing; a deep echoing laughter that felt like it shook the entire clearing. 

Eventually the storm slowed; it was still raining, but no longer the torrential downpour it had been. The man looked down at Alex and they felt that strong surge of vertigo again, like the floor was yawning beneath them, stretching into forever. The thing that stood out most to Alex, besides the extensive white scar traveling down his neck, disappearing under his shirt, were his eyes, which were a startling light blue, Alex only realized after the fact that there wasn’t nearly enough light for them to be seen, never mind how they practically glowed in the dark. 

“I don’t normally do this, but I do still have some manners... Thank you.” His voice was rough, and he smiled in a way that was both chilling and exhilarating, but he sounded sincere. 

As he started to walk away Alex realized that they need to know at least  _ something _ about the man they pulled from the earth. “Wait! What’s your name?”

That swoop of vertigo hit again when he turned back to them, but Alex was getting used to it, and if they were being honest with themselves, they were starting to enjoy it.

“Michael Crew... but you can call me Mike.” The smile was still there, and paired with his eyes the color of a cloudless sky, Alex knew they would never forget this night. Before he fully turned away he added, “If you ever want to aim a little higher, come and find me. I may have the perfect job for you.” 

And with that he was gone, and Alex was finally able to pick themselves off the ground. They curled up in the relatively dry area under the trees, hands still tingling with electricity wherever they had touched Mike, and thought about the prospects of a new career. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to stop by and say hello on [tumblr](https://kristsune.tumblr.com/)


End file.
